When asked to describe myself one of the first adjectives that comes to mind is Disney Fan. For those that know me best, that is a no brainer. Considering my ever growing Snow White collection, the amount of trips my family and I take with Disney, and my love of the animated and live action films. One of the top questions I get is why Disney? Why at age 22 would you want to obsess about Disney? Well, that's what this post hopes to answer... my love of Disney.
My love of Disney began even before I had ventured to the parks. I have this picture of me at age 2.
My love of Disney began even before I had ventured to the parks. I have this picture of me at age 2.
I wish I was also wearing my pajamas and had on my slippers on in this picture but you get the picture. At a young age I loved Snow White. I am not sure why I liked her best but I loved that movie. So of course I had a few different Snow White things at a young age. (including, a snow white tent, a barbie and of course the magic mirror which is still in my basement somewhere!)
Soon after this I made my first trip to a Disney park. At age 5 I got to venture to Disneyland. I wish I remembered more from that trip. I have little snippets that have stuck with me. In particular one memory of riding on the Haunted Mansion with my Dad. I remember the part when there would be a ghost projected onto your Doom buggy and I was terrified. I turned and hid my face in the bench for the rest of the ride. However, that didn't put a damper on my Disney fun.
The next year I would journey to the park I would start to call my third home, Walt Disney World.
Most people would assume that at age 6 this is when the height of a child's love of Disney would hit it's peak... but that fact couldn't be more wrong when coming to my family. During my high school years we made 6 trips to Disney and every year after that we have either gone to Disney World twice or done one cruise and one Disney World trip.
The magic and wonder of Disney has never died down for me. It has only intensified. I am always in awe of how magical the place is. As the bus pulls down the road and you enter into Walt Disney World's property it's like you have broken a barrier and are officially in a land where magic and dreams come true. Where you can be a pirate or a princess. You can travel to space or journey into the land of animals. Anything is possible.
A couple years ago I had the opportunity to experience the Disney magic over seas. I got to go to Disneyland Paris. When I found out I was going to be going abroad for 3 weeks and making a 3 day stop in Paris it became my mission to figure out how I was going to get to Disneyland Paris. I had made the preparations and figured out timing and the day had finally come. I got off the train from Germany to Paris and my friend and I dashed from our Hotel back to the train station and began our journey. I was such a giddy little kid on the train. I was so excited to see the castle and ride the rides. I couldn't wait to see what characters would be walking around or to see what pins I could trade!
After the 40 min train ride we were there. We bought our tickets and headed for Disneyland Park. The minute I got through the gate and saw main street and the castle in front of me I almost broke down in tears. I was home. I had some rough patches earlier in my European Adventure and I was feeling distraught and missing home. But there on main street I was given a taste of home. I ran down main street snapping pictures here and there and got to the castle and just stared. It was magnificent!
I had the best 5 hours of the entire trip being at the park with an amazing friend! We got to be 10 year olds running around the park and enjoying living in the land of fairy tales!
This past August our family went on an Adventure by Disney! We got to tour Hollywood, Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Imaginnering, and got special tours in Disneyland itself. And to top off the week? I got to attend the D23 Expo! This week experience reinforced my love of Disney. During the tour part we toured with 40 other people who were enamored with the Disney magic. I made great friends and so many memories were made. Plus, I got some amazing backstage access.. oh and did I mention Breakfast at Club 33?? Or that I met Lucky the Dinosaur? Cause I did and it was AMAZING! The Expo was another amazing experience. I was surrounded by Disney Fantatics from all over. We were celebrating all that Disney had to offer and were treated to surprises and reveals. I have now learned about many upcoming Disney projects, saw my favorite celebrities live on stage and even heard Richard Sherman and Alan Menken sing live the soundtracks to my childhood. I would be lying if I said I never cried during this entire adventure.
As anyone can see I am passionate about Disney. I see what they have to offer, I see the joy and hope they give to kids of all ages and backgrounds. And that is why I have made working for this company a life goal of mine. Recently, I have acquired a job with Radio Disney MN! I am a part of their road crew. I travel to different events and dance around and hang out with kids and bring Disney magic to them. It's amazing to realize that even in MN I can be apart of this company. They have given me so much joy in my life that it's awesome to be able to give back and bring that magic to Minnesota.
But hey, maybe someday I will be a Disney Employee in Florida or California with that magic Blue Employee card. And maybe even be instrumental with D23 and be one of the presenters on stage. Dreams are amazing things. They give us wings to reach our goals and something to strive for. So here's me embracing my dream and believing in the disney magic. So here's to Disney.. to 90 years of sheer inspiration and magic that they provide to us all. And here's to dreams and wishing on stars and finding pixie dust to make us fly!
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